The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit
by SpongeGuy
Summary: Peter and Tony have a Christmas they'll never forget!


"Yes, Midtown High, it's that time of the year again! Christmas is finally here!", Betty Brant, one half of the Midtown High news anchors, delivered in her usual slightly peppy monotone.

"Yes, Merry Christmas to one and all! Especially you, Betty.", Jason Ionello, the other, less intelligent half, expressed his unrequited crush.

"Jason, I swear, there will be nothing in your stocking but suffering and regret if you don't BACK OFF…"

A "We're Having Technical Difficulties" screen flashed on the monitor, and below it, the real action began…

"I have a plan."

Sitting at study hall, an aquamarine-turquoise tinted room surrounded with cheesy Walmart bargain bin Christmas decorations and only slightly less cheesy self made kindergarten ones, Peter Parker and Ned Leeds found themselves going over a plan way harder than fighting The Vulture or acing their fitness examinations.

In fact, this was to be Peter Parker's greatest challenge yet!

"Ok, so Christmas is any minute here, and I still don't have a present for Mr. Stark, right?"

STAKES!

Ned, nodding his head, motioned for Peter to keep talking.

Peter's soft and blue "Oh Geometree" sweater kept him warm as he continued explaining, the words tumbling out rapidly.

He was clearly every excited, but not in the good way, more like a toddler when his birthday is coming up and he's going to laugh or cry any minute now.

He was on edge, and he was worried; and with Peter Parker, this usually meant trouble.

"Right, so, I'm thinking, "What can you get for the man who has everything?" and I was thinking…"

"Money! Money's the answer!", Ned suddenly pointed enthusiastically, glad that he solved the problem.

He always looked jolly, but his "Santa riding a shark" sweater somehow added to that.

"…Ned, Mr. Stark is rich."

"So? Rich people want more money! Have you learned nothing from Monopoly?"

"Apparently he also learned nothing from history class.", Michelle suddenly chimed in, causing Peter to jump and let out a little gasp.

As ever, Michelle refused to live by society's rules: She wore no sweater, instead choosing to flaunt a winter coat that hid her hair, but not her face, which was apparently doing something to Peter, why, he was blushing immensely!

Trying to look cool by leaning on his hand with his face (and failing by falling on the table), Peter "tried" (emphasis on "tried") to greet her.

"MJ! What are you, what are you, what are you doing here?"

Michelle barely responded to the greeting, a dry expression on her face.

If she was feeling as flustered as Peter, she was clearly not showing it.

"What are you two losers doing?", she asked, leaning on the wall, a "Don't refund gifts, Children!" poster behind her.

Ned, turning his face around to answer her quarry, pointed at Peter.

"He's buying a gift for Iro…"

Ned suddenly shouted out in pain, because a well timed kick to the shin stopped Ned from screwing up continuity.

"I mean… Peter's buying a gift for a family friend, and he's not sure what to get him because this guy is like, loaded."

"I mean…", Peter started, Michelle raising an eyebrow in mild interest. "It's just a gift."

"Peter's getting all nervous about it."

"He's just a friend."

"He's been wracking his brain about it for months."

"Honestly, I doubt I'd lose much sleep over it."

"I caught him crying about it at Spanish."

"Shut up, dude!", Peter said, annoyed, but Michelle was already beginning to walk out.

"Ok, well, you can keep crying if you want, but if I were you (and thankfully, I'm not), if I wanted to get something for someone, I'd check out Lee's store, the one near Delmars."

She almost left the room, Peter still feeling her presence, as she said "He's got surprisingly lenient prices, even on Christmas."

She then suddenly walked back in, a less confident than usual look on her face.

Gone was the smug smirk, replaced with a sort of anxiousness in her eyes.

"Not that I care about your stupid problems or anything. Just… Just some helpful advice."

She almost blushed, before ducking out and hiding behind the wall, listening in, a strand of her hair on her nose and another near her ear.

Peter got up, a sense of urgency in his heart, and, high fiving Ned without even looking, began his journey towards Lee's.

His confidence swelled and his resolve strengthened as his footsteps echoed down the halls, his eyes shining as they always did when he did the right thing.

The confident smile was momentarily replaced by a shy one as he whispered to himself on the way out (not knowing she was there) "Merry Christmas, MJ…"

Another thing he didn't notice? Michelle's soft and small smile as she whispered…

"Merry Christmas, Tiger…"

The sky was clear.

For now.

He looked back, just for a second, to make sure he didn't miss anything.

If what had been haunting him for 4 years wasn't out there.

And it wasn't.

…For now.

"Mr. Stark?"

Turning around, after one last side glance, Tony Stark finally put all his attention onto the woman before him, the brown interior of the living room, filled with couches, plants, and close to a mini kitchen, giving off a more comfortable vibe than there actually was.

Feeling that ever sore left arm, and pretending that all was right with him, as per usual, Tony walked past a photograph of Steve Rogers and sat down on the armchair in front of his conflicted guest.

"I see that the spider doesn't fall far from the web. He calls me that all the time."

"Have you tried to correct him?"

A voice rang out from a different room, mechanical yet authentic, with a warm glow to it. "I've heard him try 232 times, and that's only all the times I've been around them."

"Vision!", Tony called out in a humorously scolding tone. "What did I say about listening in?"

"…Not to do it. But I was just answering a quarry, Mr. Stark."

Tony shook his head, smiling to himself, before looking again at May Parker. "So…"

He repositioned to make himself comfortable, but it didn't help: No matter how he sat, he couldn't rest.

Still, the least he could get from this is a straight answer.

Sighing, he locked eyes with his guest. "…What do you think?"

May Parker bit her lip, never more unsure of anything her entire life.

For the last 11 years she had raised the boy as well as she could (with help for most of those from Ben), and as he had grown up with her, she had grown too; grown to see him as her son, in a way.

Her Peter.

The little genius who was always getting picked on.

The shy kid who helped whenever he could.

And now the hero of an entire city, keeping everyone safe from maniacal criminals.

She wasn't all too happy at first with Peter's superhero life; In fact, she had very much considered banning it.

But after a long and quiet discussion with him and his admittedly more trustworthy than she thought mentor, she had relented (even quite happily), and allowed him to continue doing his thing, provided he was more careful.

And he was, so there was that!

But just because May had grown to accept her odd life did not make this just a little odd.

No, scratch that, it was not odd: It was just a lot to think about.

"Look, Mr. St… Tony…"

She didn't want to say no, but she wasn't sure if yes was the right answer: There was so much to think about, and not much time left.

"I'm sorry I took so long to ask, and especially today.", Tony said, as if he was reading her mind.

"Could he do that?", she thought, and for a second, she was convinced, but then she reasoned that he wasn't THAT kind of billionaire.

"I mean, I would have asked sooner, but I'm just so busy not dying, and I didn't see you in the supermarket, and I'm not a member of your book club, so you see how it slipped."

"Uh huh. And this isn't because the great Tony Stark was afraid of asking someone something that personal?"

"…I threw a nuke into a wormhole. You'd be surprised how easy that is compared to this."

May couldn't help but warmly chuckle before adding "I actually wouldn't."

She looked down for a moment. "I… In a way, I had to do that too. So I know why this was hard yet important to you."

She then smiled at him, a genuine smile, that made Tony feel trusted.

…How he missed that feeling.

Instinctively feeling his chest, Tony listened intently as May spoke. "I… I need more time to think."

"I'm not saying no!", she was quick to add. "I just need to make sure that yes is the way to go. For both of us."

Tony nodded, truly understanding. "Workshop it. We'll do… Linner? Dinner's at your place, so… My people will speak with your people, and…"

He began to walk out when suddenly Vison walked through the wall, making May shout out and Tony flinch.

"Mr. Stark, I was wondering if perhaps I could…"

"JESUS, VISION! I ASKED YOU NOT TO…"

Tony then realized that that was NOT an inside voice.

Closing his eyes, hands feeling his forehead, knowing another headache was coming on, Tony took a deep breath and hoped that he could keep it together.

"…Vision, please tell me why a superbot who has a magic stone in his forehead can't compute the simple request of "not walking through walls"."

"Wanda didn't mind it…", Vision said, almost like a guilty child.

Tony smiled sympathetically and shook his head. "What did you want?"

Vision pointed at the still startled May and asked "I thought I could be of assistance and keep Ms. Parker occupied. Trust me, it can get quite dull alone in here."

Tony wished he could get rid of that problem, but he had such a list, that getting Wanda back was not exactly an option.

Still, if he could make his friend feel a little less lonely…

Taking out a chess set, Tony motioned Vision to sit.

"Don't beat her too hard, buddy."

"I'll try my best, Mr. Stark, but it's not exactly in my nature.", Vision said, a small smile on his red face.

May nodded as Tony made a "Call me" sign and closed the door.

"So… Superbot?"

"A very long story, but super is quite the bragging term, and I'd rather be known for my more human elements."

He extended his hand, a polite smile offered too.

"My name is Vision."

"May Parker."

Looking outside yet another window, Tony was not surprised that nothing was out there again.

He was also not surprised by Pepper appearing and caressing his shoulders.

"Tony…"

"I'm not worried. You're not a mind reader, and if you are, then all those worries you detect are fake ones."

"I don't need to read minds to know that you are worried."

She rested her head next to his ear.

"Besides, if anyone is worried, it's me."

"See? Wrong again, Ms. Potts. You'll never reach double Jeprody like this."

A ring glinted in his eyes.

"I already am. I'm marrying you."

"If you can understand the danger in that, then there's hope for you yet."

Pepper sighed as Tony stayed stiff, still looking outside, not looking at her for a second.

"…Tony, everything will work out. You'll give Peter your gift, and you'll stop whatever is in there."

She pointed at his head, and Tony smiled.

She believed in him, after all those years.

But he could still feel her falling.

He could still hear her screams.

Their screams.

"You could have saved us…", Steve said.

"I would have saved her.", Killian wounds.

"If you die… That's on me…", he reminds Peter.

"I'm the man who killed the Avengers." He reminds himself.

"I'm sorry, Tony…", Steve says, but is it too late?

"I'm not the one who needs to watch her back…", Natasha warns.

…

"Why didn't you do more?"

Suddenly, he feels him.

His presence.

The man who's behind his suffering.

The one who'll destroy earth.

Tony Stark had to succeed.

He had to.

Pepper could feel his shoulders sag, his breath run cold.

"…You all right?"

Tony closed his eyes and focused.

"I help Peter… And I help another person… And I'm that much closer to resting. To finally saving them all."

He opened them and lied.

"…Always."

_(Electric guitar begins to play "Jingle Bells Rock")_

_"__Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock"_

_"__Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring"_

_"__Snowin' and blown' up bushels of fun"_

_"__Now the jingle hop has begun!"_

Walking down by Delmar's, Peter had a hard time tearing his eyes off it.

Queens was awash with lights already, though the midday sun was still up, and all around one could see festivity!

Santa's ringing for charity to your left, kids playing in the snow to your right, and smack bang in the middle were smiling men and women, not a frown in sight!

Peter loved the holidays, so it always warmed his heart to see so many other people enjoy it too.

"And some of them because of me…", Peter thought, as he waved at an old woman he once helped who gave him a churro.

Feeling a little bit warmer, despite not adding a single extra layer of clothing, Peter stepped up to Lee's store, hoping to find something special for Mr. Stark.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in, True Believer!"

The nice old man voice felt very welcoming, and even more welcoming was the warm insides of the store: Green and red lights merrily lit, a small and cheery tree flashed, Bing Crosby was wishing for a white Christmas, and Peter could swear he smelt…

"Hot chocolate?"

Peter was so taken by surprise he nearly burnt his hand, but he was lucky enough to taste the drink.

"Oh, wow! This is amazing!"

The old man smiled cheerfully from behind his black frame brown lens sunglasses.

"My wife Joan. She was one heck of a gal!"

"I bet!", Peter complimented, savoring the flavor.

Suddenly, he found a long arm greet him.

The smile behind it was somehow longer.

"Welcome to my store, son! What's your name?"

Peter happily shook back. He was liking this guy already!

"Peter Parker, sir!"

"Glad to meet ya, Peter! My name's Stan Lee. As in Lee's Store."

Stan walked back to behind his counter, where he sat and sighed contently.

"Nothing quite like the holiday season, eh?", he asked nostalgically as Peter admired all the other knick knacks in the store.

Wonderful decorations of angels and snowmen and reindeer surrounded the store, and everything seemed to twinkle and shimmer and glow.

Peter's eyes sparkled as well as he took it all in, leaning his back on the counter.

"Yeah… Nothing quite like it."

Stan then chuckled as he realized he was wasting time.

"Sorry, kid, I'm holding you up! What do you want to get?"

Peter was quick to correct him. "Don't worry, sir! I'm just taking in the view."

Stan laughed again, and he joined him.

"So, who are you buying for? I don't want you to be late for your family."

Peter gulped, remembering the size of his task.

"Well, you see, it's for… Well, someone very close to me."

"A girl? A boy?", Stan asked with a wink.

Peter blushed heavily, thinking of MJ. "What? Nooooo! It's for a…"

Peter had never really admitted it to another person before.

He was barely able to choke it out for May!

But he had to do this for Mr. Stark, teen embarrassment be damned!

"…A father figure of sorts."

"Ah, I see!

Stan and Peter kept observing the shelves and Peter continued explaining.

"I want to get him something special, but you see, he's rich, so, like, what do you get for him?"

"That IS a problem…", Stan agreed, nodding but not looking at the teen.

"I know, right?", Peter said, gesticulating. "Anyway, a friend told me that this place has good stuff, so I came here."

"Your friend has good taste.", Stan said, and Peter replied "She sure does…"

"A ha! So there IS a girl!"

Stan laughed as Peter got flustered. "Ok, there is, but not today! Today is about my…Father figure."

"I'm just messing with ya, kid!", Stan reassured, and he resumed glancing at his store.

Both men thought all the things at the store were marvelous…

But none of them had that zing, that UMPH that was so necessary.

None of them were special ENOUGH.

Stan was a storeowner, but he was a man of his word.

He was all about the joy of Christmas, and he knew that he needed to come up with something truly special for this kid.

"Aw man… What do you get for the man who has everything?", Peter asked himself in a worried mutter, and Stan realized he might have a solution.

"…Peter... If I can call you that…"

"Of course!"

"Thanks. Well, Peter… What doesn't he have?"

Peter blinked in confusion.

Stan smiled that bright smile of his and explained himself. "No man has everything. In fact, they mostly end up having nothing of true worth. Is there something our rich father figure here doesn't have?"

Peter put his brain to good use, and soon came up with an answer.

"Well, he doesn't stop working! He never takes any vacations, and trust me, he's busy!"

It was what Peter said next that clinched it for Stan. "Man, if I could get him to rest for just a bit… To just feel safe for a moment…"

He could feel the ticket in his pocket, and a small lump in his throat.

She would have wanted this.

She would have done it herself.

Wiping a tear, Stan cleared his throat. "Her time was up a while ago anyway…"

Peter stared at him, once again puzzled.

"And honestly, I'd rather not go on my own. I have all I need here."

Peter continued to be confused, until he found a slip of paper in his hand.

"Here! Give it to your dad."

Peter wanted to say "Father figure", but instead he said "What? Is that…"

"Tickets to my winter vacation spot in Florida. Lovely this time of year, you know!"

Peter was flabbergasted, his face a mixture of surprise, shock, and gratitude. "Mr. Lee, I… I can't take this! That's your vacation, that must have cost a fortune!"

"Eh, what's a fortune when the spirit of giving comes in?"

Stan nodded as he made sure that Peter's fist closed around the ticket. "The man's got money, but no brains, if you described him right. He'll HAVE to rest now."

"But… But what about your trip?"

"And I'm sure he can pay for you and your family."

Peter looked down at his palm, the ticket on it, and he looked back at the beaming man, and he didn't know what to do.

"Mr. Lee…", he finally exhaled. "…Thank you. Really. But… But I can't take this. It's not the right thing to do."

"Son, I'd rather you had it. I started all this in the spirit of giving! So let me give it to you!"

"But what can I give you back?", Peter asked immediately, and the old man smiled warmly and patted his back.

"Just be kind. That's all I ask."

Peter swallowed his gulp, and nodded slowly. He DID want to make Mr. Stark happy…

And as he walked out, saying "Thank you" ("You're welcome, son!"), he realized there was a way to pay back Mr. Lee.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lee.", he thought as he ran back home. "You'll get a good gift too!"

Entering the house, Peter opened the door excitedly, not even noticing the silver Audi outside.

"May, sorry I'm a little late, I was just getting a present for…"

But Peter was stopped short in his dimly lit yet colorful living room when he saw who was sitting on the couch with a Santa Hat Iron Man sweater and a freshly made cup of hot chocolate.

"…Mr. Stark?", Peter asked, half startled half enthused.

His smile grew wider as Tony greeted him. "Hello there, Mr. Parker. We've been waiting."

May suddenly walked out of the kitchen, oven mittens on. "Peter!"

She scooped him up in a hug and kissed his forehead. "I was beginning to get worried!"

Peter smiled, a little embarrassedly, but he hugged back. "Don't worry: I'm fine."

He then looked at Tony. "Actually, there's something I need to do…"

Tony suddenly walked past, surprising Peter. "I too have something to say, Mr. Parker. Would you mind accompanying me outside?"

May seemed surprisingly emotional suddenly, and Peter could see that there were wet stains around her eyes.

What could it be that had gotten her so upset?

At first, Peter just wanted to make her feel better, but she shooed him off, so he went with Tony outside.

The air was cold, and Peter was shivering a bit, but Tony's warm hand on his shoulder made it all worth it.

Looking up at him, Peter felt safe.

That was something he wasn't used to.

Smiling softly down at him, Tony seemed to be holding a folder. "How had he not noticed that?", Peter wondered.

"You have NO idea how long it took to get most of this signed, and there's sort of a long process anyway, but…"

Peter was now very confused. Signed? Like… A contract?

Tony finally handed it over, but his hand seemed to be shaking.

Peter was getting a little worried: What was this all about?

"…Well, take a look."

Peter looked and saw a lot of legal talk.

"…Skip down to the bottom. That's where all the important stuff is anyway."

Tony seemed to be looking aside as Peter read the inscription.

"When all is settled, two parties will be considered lawful guardians and parents to Peter Parker: His aunt May Parker and…"

Peter put the paper down, in shock.

"…Tony Stark…", he barely breathed out.

Tony seemed… Distant.

"I know it's not a conventional present, but… I want to protect you. So May and I agreed to a partial adoption, and…"

Tony was then squeezed by the biggest hug he'd ever received in his life.

Tears stained his shirt as Peter blubbered out "Thank you, Mr. Stark…"

Tony patted his back, finally returning the hug. "Of course, kid. Of course."

Peter didn't even know what to say.

And then, he realized that he forgot something.

"Oh man!", he face palmed. "Now my present feels kinda lame compared to yours…"

"It could never be! Tell me what it is!", Tony said, trying to be encouraging.

Peter smiled shyly and dropped the ticket in his hands. "A SUPER kind old man gave me this to give to you. Now you have to rest."

Tony would later swear that those weren't tears but that some fumes got into his eyes, but Peter knew better.

"And he said you could probably pay for me and May…"

"And Pep. And probably Rhodey and Vision, but I'd have to ask."

Tony suddenly did something truly rare, and he initiated a hug. "Thanks, Pete. This is truly something. I'll be more than happy to vacation with you and the family."

Peter then decided to add one last clause: "But can we also buy one ticket for Mr. Lee, the guy who gave me this? I can't bare to not give anything back!"

Tony smiled, proud of… His boy.

"Of course. I have money to spare, after all!"

He chuckled. "…You're a good man, Peter Parker."

Father and son smiled at each other, feeling closer than ever before, when suddenly they could hear May calling out for them.

Arm on Peter's shoulder, Tony returned to his usual cheerful self. "Come on, now! Let's not keep the woman who beat Vision at chess and made him cry waiting!"

As they walked in, Peter suddenly whispered "Merry Christmas… Dad…"

And Tony, again trying not to cry, but feeling the best he had felt in years, said "Merry Christmas to you too…"

"…Son…"


End file.
